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Takeshi Yasuda, Made in China

There’s a gallery local to me that’s quite an inspiration, it goes by the name of Goldmark and represents a variety of artists from all over the world. For me it’s a nice place to come across and we’ve presented them many times before here on the blog. Although they have quite a small location in an obscure area of England, they still have a big online presence and have become a definite bookmark. We’re connected in a variety of ways, such as the topics we cover and our appreciation for contemporary design, but I do feel like we’re on a slightly different scale so it offers a nice change of scenery. One thing that I’ve admired is their selection of pottery, from smooth porcelain to rustic stoneware. It’s great to go in and actually pick up these pots, to hold them in your hand, which sometimes feels “wrong” in a gallery setting. Obviously the ceramics in our shop are at a lower price point, but I still appreciate these one-off objects and love to hear the backstory of these creatives.

This time Goldmark are exhibiting a Japanese potter named Takeshi Yasuda, who’s currently making porcelain at his workshop in Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China. I had seen a preview of this and I’m glad that’s it’s finally been released in full, so I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did earlier whilst taking a quick lunch break. Naturally, Goldmark are offering these pieces for sale on their website, which is the main point of this documentary, but at the same time you can tell they’re devoted to telling the stories of these craftsmen and their working practices. Plus, for all of us budding creatives it’s a great source of inspiration.

The film itself shows Yasuda inside his studio, and although we get to see him working we also follow him through the streets of Jingdezhen and get an idea of the surrounding area, where different workshops produce porcelain wares. It’s quite an eye opener. For example the scale of the works and the challenges when working with such a material. I knew porcelain was temperamental but certainly not this erratic, which makes me more intrigued to try it out for myself. Overall it’s a fantastic watch and it’s obvious to see Takeshi Yasuda’s passion for clay, even though he’s 70 years old he still says that he’s inspired everyday. You can’t be more satisfied in life than that!